12 Oct 201805:46am IST

12 Oct 201805:46am IST

A very severe cyclonic storm packing winds of up to 150 kmph and widespread rains hit eastern India Thursday killing eight people in Andhra Pradesh and damaging homes, uprooting trees and power lines in the state and in Odisha.

Cyclone 'Titli' made landfall on the eastern coast early on Thursday wreaking havoc mainly in Srikakulam and Vizianagaram districts of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha's Gajapati and Ganjam districts.

Traffic on the Chennai-Kolkata National Highway was hit after the uprooted trees blocked some sections of the road, according to officials.

The South Central Railway as well as the East Coast Railway cancelled several trains while some were terminated midway, officials said, adding a few express trains were also diverted.

Train services between Khurda Road in Odisha and Vizianagaram in Andhra Pradesh also remained suspended since 10 pm Wednesday.

While no loss of lives was reported in Odisha, the "very severe" cyclonic storm left a trail of destruction uprooting trees, electric poles and damaging hutments in the affected districts.

The cyclonic storm system is now moving northeastwards towards Gangetic West Bengal across Odisha and will weaken gradually, the IMD said.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Cyclone 'Titli' made its landfall near Palasa in Srikakulam district, south west of Gopalpur in Odisha with an estimated maximum sustained surface wind speed of 140-150 km per hour gusting to 165 km per hour between 4.30 am and 5.30 am.

The Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) said the cyclone caused widespread damage in Srikakulam and Vizianagaram districts, and threw normal life out of gear as heavy to very heavy rains lashed the two north coastal districts since late Wednesday night.

While a 62-year-old woman died at Gudivada Agraharam village after a tree fell on her, a 55-year-old man died in a house collapse at Rotanasa village in Srikakulam district, the SDMA said.

The Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister's Office (CMO) said the other six killed were fishermen who had ventured into the sea.

Of the 67 fishing boats that had gone into the sea over the last few days from Kakinada in East Godavari district, 65 had returned to the shore safely, the CMO said, adding efforts were on to bring back the remaining two boats.

The road network in Srikakulam district suffered extensive damage, while the power distribution network was also severely affected. More than 2,000 electric poles were uprooted by strong winds.

The Eastern Power Distribution Company, that caters to the electricity needs of the north coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh, reported that the distribution system for 4,319 villages and six towns in Srikakulam district was affected.